Dack’s chariot tore down the overgrown path to St. Vincent Hospital, glancing at the man doing his best not to die in the passenger seat. It was not often that someone was carried to the wall in such dire need of medical attention, and it was even less often that they were considered important enough to get it. Dack hardly stayed long enough to be told about the collapsed mine before he fastened Danilo Rodriguez into his personal chariot and flew into the darkness.
The ground cracked and spat beneath the hooves of the horses that propelled Dack and Danilo. Danilo floated between states of consciousness as he felt his life draining from the open wounds in his chest. The more Dack coaxed the horses, the more the rattling chariot reminded Danilo of his impending mortality. The stench of blood had now seeped into the worn leather upholstery of the chariot, filling the nostrils of both of its occupants. When he wasn’t shouting at the horses, Dack made sure to check on Danilo to ensure he remained conscious.
“Hey buddy, this isn’t nothing, you hear me? Remember the time you broke your leg trying to impress Elizabeth Vogel in school?” Danilo responded with a slight nod. “Yea? You thought you were gonna die then too, remember?” Of course they both knew that a broken limb was far less concerning than an open ribcage.
As they arrived at the hospital, they were admitted immediately and Dack helped as Danilo was transferred from a seat that had become more blood than leather to a clean gourney. The nurse who took Danilo could tell by the feral look on Dack’s face that he was not about to stay in the waiting area as she requested. She did manage to coax him into giving the surgeons space as they began working to save Danilo’s life. A look of primal apprehension solidified Dack’s face as he watched the surgeons try to piece Danilo back together. Blood crept down the grooves of his armor, and the muted orders from the head surgeon floated through Dack’s mind as he recalled his last conversation with Danilo before departing for the Phanes Military Academy.
“I sure wish you’d reconsider joining me down at the mines,” Danilo coaxed, “It’s hard work, but it pays better and it’s less dangerous than military work.”
“I couldn’t stand it there and you know it Danny. Besides, I can always just get a shift guarding the mines so I can come keep you outta trouble!”
He regretted never having taken those shifts. He always told himself he wanted to keep working the wall to climb the ranks faster before taking shifts like that, that he’d do it just as soon as he got promoted. He never thought that he might never get that opportunity. Dack snapped out of his daydream when he noticed some of the nurses leaving the room in a hurry, followed by a doctor. Danilo still lay unconscious on the cold metal table, the blood had slowed but not yet stopped pouring, indicating there was much more work to be done before he was safe.
Dack interrogated the nearest person in scrubs making a break for the door, “What the hell is going on? Why are they leaving?”
“Sir, we understand your confusion-”
“You understand? Do you understand that that man’s ribs are still in plain view? He don’t exactly look better now does he? So why are you people all of a sudden in a rush to leave him here?”
“Our priorities have been shifted. There’s a woman giving birth and she is in need of an emergency C-section or she may lose the baby.”
Seeing Dack’s rage ferment to frenzy, the nurse skittered out of the door before he ended up being admitted himself. Unable to contain himself, and unwilling to hurt the people who stood between Danilo and a hole in the ground, he struck the wall. The brick walls of the operating room had little give to offer Dack’s fist as he struck blow after blow.
If it weren’t for Humans having priority over Barren, then Danilo might never have been working at the mines. Bang. This one broke the skin on his right-hand knuckles.
If it weren’t for Humans having priority over Barren, then maybe Danilo would’ve had better doctors. Doctors picked because they were the brightest students, not because they were fertile. Thud. The wall he was abusing was now slick from Dack’s blood and ire.
If it weren’t for Humans having priority over Barren, then maybe the government would care about the people in the mines, maybe Danilo’s work would’ve been too safe for this to happen. With this blow, Dack heard his knuckles crack. He could taste the iron of his own blood as it splattered back into his face. He vaguely registered the doors swing open and closed as more hospital staff shuffled out, presumably to further help the pregnant woman.
If it weren’t for Humans having priority over Barren, then maybe these doctors would give a damn about them! Dack’s fist finally gave way to his torment, shattering like glass. Dack steadied himself against the wall using his one good hand, tears blurring his vision to a mosaic of red and white.
The ringing in his ears harmonized with the ringing of the heart monitor as Danilo flat-lined. He blinked the tears from his eyes and soberly turned around to watch an Inannan priest pray over his friend. The lone surgeon who remained pronounced him dead, all while trying his hardest not to look at the blood-soaked barbarian who looked on in despondent silence. The priest and the surgeon then hurriedly left the room, the doors swinging after them as they went. Dack was left alone with the mess of an empty shell.
Dack had emptied his feelings onto the wall behind him, leaving his mind stranded in oblivion. After staring in silence for what seemed like hours, Dack heard the muffled crying of a newborn baby.
The ground cracked and spat beneath the hooves of the horses that propelled Dack and Danilo. Danilo floated between states of consciousness as he felt his life draining from the open wounds in his chest. The more Dack coaxed the horses, the more the rattling chariot reminded Danilo of his impending mortality. The stench of blood had now seeped into the worn leather upholstery of the chariot, filling the nostrils of both of its occupants. When he wasn’t shouting at the horses, Dack made sure to check on Danilo to ensure he remained conscious.
“Hey buddy, this isn’t nothing, you hear me? Remember the time you broke your leg trying to impress Elizabeth Vogel in school?” Danilo responded with a slight nod. “Yea? You thought you were gonna die then too, remember?” Of course they both knew that a broken limb was far less concerning than an open ribcage.
As they arrived at the hospital, they were admitted immediately and Dack helped as Danilo was transferred from a seat that had become more blood than leather to a clean gourney. The nurse who took Danilo could tell by the feral look on Dack’s face that he was not about to stay in the waiting area as she requested. She did manage to coax him into giving the surgeons space as they began working to save Danilo’s life. A look of primal apprehension solidified Dack’s face as he watched the surgeons try to piece Danilo back together. Blood crept down the grooves of his armor, and the muted orders from the head surgeon floated through Dack’s mind as he recalled his last conversation with Danilo before departing for the Phanes Military Academy.
“I sure wish you’d reconsider joining me down at the mines,” Danilo coaxed, “It’s hard work, but it pays better and it’s less dangerous than military work.”
“I couldn’t stand it there and you know it Danny. Besides, I can always just get a shift guarding the mines so I can come keep you outta trouble!”
He regretted never having taken those shifts. He always told himself he wanted to keep working the wall to climb the ranks faster before taking shifts like that, that he’d do it just as soon as he got promoted. He never thought that he might never get that opportunity.
Dack snapped out of his daydream when he noticed some of the nurses leaving the room in a hurry, followed by a doctor. Danilo still lay unconscious on the cold metal table, the blood had slowed but not yet stopped pouring, indicating there was much more work to be done before he was safe.
Dack interrogated the nearest person in scrubs making a break for the door, “What the hell is going on? Why are they leaving?”
“Sir, we understand your confusion-”
“You understand? Do you understand that that man’s ribs are still in plain view? He don’t exactly look better now does he? So why are you people all of a sudden in a rush to leave him here?”
“Our priorities have been shifted. There’s a woman giving birth and she is in need of an emergency C-section or she may lose the baby.”
Seeing Dack’s rage ferment to frenzy, the nurse skittered out of the door before he ended up being admitted himself. Unable to contain himself, and unwilling to hurt the people who stood between Danilo and a hole in the ground, he struck the wall. The brick walls of the operating room had little give to offer Dack’s fist as he struck blow after blow.
If it weren’t for Humans having priority over Barren, then Danilo might never have been working at the mines. Bang. This one broke the skin on his right-hand knuckles.
If it weren’t for Humans having priority over Barren, then maybe Danilo would’ve had better doctors. Doctors picked because they were the brightest students, not because they were fertile. Thud. The wall he was abusing was now slick from Dack’s blood and ire.
If it weren’t for Humans having priority over Barren, then maybe the government would care about the people in the mines, maybe Danilo’s work would’ve been too safe for this to happen. With this blow, Dack heard his knuckles crack. He could taste the iron of his own blood as it splattered back into his face. He vaguely registered the doors swing open and closed as more hospital staff shuffled out, presumably to further help the pregnant woman.
If it weren’t for Humans having priority over Barren, then maybe these doctors would give a damn about them! Dack’s fist finally gave way to his torment, shattering like glass. Dack steadied himself against the wall using his one good hand, tears blurring his vision to a mosaic of red and white.
The ringing in his ears harmonized with the ringing of the heart monitor as Danilo flat-lined. He blinked the tears from his eyes and soberly turned around to watch an Inannan priest pray over his friend. The lone surgeon who remained pronounced him dead, all while trying his hardest not to look at the blood-soaked barbarian who looked on in despondent silence. The priest and the surgeon then hurriedly left the room, the doors swinging after them as they went. Dack was left alone with the mess of an empty shell.
Dack had emptied his feelings onto the wall behind him, leaving his mind stranded in oblivion. After staring in silence for what seemed like hours, Dack heard the muffled crying of a newborn baby.